UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has commenced the 2019 edition of its annual National Essay Competition in Nigeria with a call for entries.

Now in its 9th year, the essay competition, targeted at senior secondary school students in Nigeria is organised annually, as part of UBA Foundation’s education initiative which is aimed at promoting the reading culture and encouraging healthy and intellectual competition amongst secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa.

At the media launch which took place at UBA headquarters in Lagos, the call for entries was announced today. Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, Mrs. Bola Atta, said the essay competition, which is in its ninth edition, will provide an opportunity for students in secondary schools across the country to put in their entries and to win prizes in the form of educational grants to study in any university of their choice on the African continent.

Beginning from last year, the prize money increased significantly as the UBA Foundation emphasises that education remains one of the foundation’s key initiatives.

The first prize for the UBA National Essay Competition is a N2 million educational grant, while the second and third prizes are N1.5 million and N1m educational grants respectively.

Speaking to the students and participants at the event, Bola Atta said: “To us at the Foundation, this is our drive to improve the quality of education across the continent. It is also our way of giving back to the society. The competition is a key aspect of our investment drive in human capital, as we seek to improve knowledge base, allow students to express themselves and write creatively. We will continue to sustain the initiative because education is very important to UBA and we are more than committed to providing the necessary support for students in Nigeria and across the African continent,” she noted.

“We are driven by the mantra to do well and do good and we will not relent in our efforts to touch lives through our various projects, and initiatives,” Bola Atta told the excited students.

Explaining the modalities for the competition, she stated that entries received from students for the competition will be reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges made up of professors from reputable Nigerian Universities, who will then shortlist 12 best essays for further assessment.

Following this, a second round of the competition will involve the 12 finalists who will write a second supervised essay from which three best essays will be selected as the overall winners from the 12 finalists emerged from the first round of the competition.

Atta explained that the choice of essay for this year’s competition is one that helps promote creative and analytical thinking in students and helps them to be problem solvers. This year, the topic is “What do you think the government should do to control fraud in Nigeria?”

It is important to note that apart from Nigeria, the national essay competition has been taken to other African countries including Ghana and Senegal. More countries including Mozambique and Kenya will kick off the initiative this year. A unique component of this year’s edition is that, schools that turn in the highest number of entries will be recognised and rewarded a special prize by the Foundation.

Also speaking at the call to entries today, the Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, Ogechi Altraide, who spoke on the benefits of reading and writing essays,motivated the students to research into the topics and give it their best shot, adding that there is the need for them to focus on adapting themselves to happenings in their generation, and to have a growth mindset. This she explained, will ensure that they can apply themselves and conquer whatever challenges they are faced with.

According to her, reading and writing go hand in hand, and so it is important for students to keep abreast of how the economy can develop through reading and writing.

An English teacher from Holy Child College, Ikoyi, Mrs Ezechukwu Ngozi, gave the students tips on how to write good essays, and advised them to keep to the proper tenets of essay writing to come out tops in the competition.

As the CSR platform for the UBA Group, UBA Foundation embodies the Group’s CSR objectives and seeks to impact positively on societies through a number of laudable projects and initiatives.

Each year, the bank donates thousands of books to students in Nigeria and across Africa, under the ‘Read Africa’ initiative to encourage and promote the reading culture in secondary schools.

Managing Director /CEO, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta; Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, United Bank for Africa(UBA)Plc, Mrs Ogechi Altraide; Group Head, Brand Management, United Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc, Mr. Lashe Osoba, flanked by students of some selected secondary schools in Lagos during the commencement Ceremony for the 2019 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition for senior secondary school students in Nigeria held at UBA House on TuesdayGroup Head, Brand Management, United Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc, Mr. Lashe Osoba; English Teacher, Holy Child College, Ikoyi, Mrs Ezechukwu Ngozi; Managing Director/CEO, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta; Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, UBA Plc, Ogechi Altraide; Group Head, Energy and Oil, UBA Plc, Mr. Ebele Ogbue, during the commencement Ceremony for the 2019 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition for senior secondary school students in Nigeria held at UBA House on TuesdayGroup Head, Brand Management, United Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc, Mr. Lashe Osoba; English Teacher, Holy Child College, Ikoyi, Mrs Ezechukwu Ngozi; Managing Director /CEO, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta; Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, UBA Plc Ogechi Altraide; Group Head, External and Media Relations, UBA Plc, Mr. Ramon Nasir, flanked by students and teachers of some selected secondary schools in Lagos during the commencement Ceremony for the 2019 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition for senior secondary school students in Nigeria held at UBA House on Tuesday

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has restated its commitment to attain the highest level of customer advocacy by leveraging on its solid business models, bespoke solutions, excellent service delivery, highly professional staff and technology to turn the aspirations of its customers to opportunities.

The bank gave the assurance in a statement to celebrate this year’s international Customer Service Week, holding from October 7 to 11, 2019, across its 206 branches in Nigeria.

The theme of the celebration recognises that good service was magical, which could turn an unhappy customer into a satisfied long-term customer. It can also turn an occasional customer into a repeat customer as well as the biggest fan and advocate of an organisation.

The highlight of the week-long activities lined-up include a ‘’Special Thank You’’ message to customers nationwide and a plan by the Managing Director, Mr. Adam Nuru to directly speak to as many FCMB customers as possible, the statement explained.

In addition, the Executive Management of FCMB would visit children across all regions who have kiddies account with the Bank whose birthdays fall during the customer service week, to celebrate with them and present them gifts. Also, Staff that have gone the extra mile to provide magical service will be recognized and rewarded.

Commenting on the Customer Service Week, the Divisional Head, Service Management and Technology, FCMB, Mr. Kayode Adigun said, ‘’for us at FCMB, the theme of this year`s celebration is very significant as the concept of customer service is embedded in our corporate identity which is reflected in our core values-Execution, Professionalism, Innovation and Customer focus (EPIC).

“And this has been re-affirmed by our recent position in the latest KPMG BICSS where we came 3rd in both the Retail and SME segments. We are committed to continually offer our customers across all business segments, magical customer experience that will clearly stand us out, not just in the financial industry but in the service industry generally. Thank you for banking with us and we look forward to more patronage as we progress on our service experience journey’’.

Kiki Mordi, an undercover journalist with the BBC Africa Eye, says she received threats after completing an investigation which exposed sexual harassment in West African universities.

Igbeneghu, a lecturer and former sub-dean of the faculty of arts at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), who is also head pastor of a Foursquare Gospel Church, was exposed in a 13-minute video documentary published by the BBC Africa Eye on Monday.

He was caught on camera sexually harassing an undercover reporter who posed as an admission seeker in the institution.

Mordi says her investigation was related to the experience she had while at university, which forced her to drop out of school.

In an interview with Sahara Reporters, Mordi said since the investigation was completed, she has been receiving subtle threats.

“I have received subtle threats since this work was completed but I am not bothered because the BBC takes the security of employees seriously,” she said.

“Before embarking on this project, the team prayed a lot and also sang because it helped to calm the nerves. But I had to go through the trainings I received over and over again because I wanted to get it right.

“The bulk of the ritual I performed were reading, research and preparation. The biggest goal of this work was to be louder than the aggressor because sexual harassment is very loud. I wanted it to be silenced.”

Mordi said she is glad that things have been changing since the documentary was released, adding that more needs to be done to halt sexual harassment in African universities.

“I am happy that a lot is changing already since the documentary was release and I can confirm to you that one of the lecturers at the University of Lagos caught sexually harassing a prospective student has been dismissed by the institution,” she said.

“I believe it doesn’t stop there until there is a conviction. We have to break that culture of impunity.”

UNILAG suspended the lecturer while Foursquare Gospel Church has asked him to step down from all “ministerial assignments”.

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, has said Truecaller will harmonise its operations to suit the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation, NDPR.

The director general said this following the investigation he recalled the agency started on Truecaller’s privacy data breach on some unsuspecting Nigerians.

He recalled that the Truecaller Privacy Policy, TPP, is against global laws on data protection and the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation, NDPR, requires data collection, processing accuracy, specific consent validity and other necessities.

According to him, the initial investigation reveals that over seven million Nigerians are active users of the Truecaller service, hence the need to create awareness on that.

He said “on investigating the Truecaller compromise on data of some Nigerians, we have gone far on that.

“They have written to us to find ways to harmonise operations to comply with the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation.”

He added that the TPP content comprises of two categories and have different policies for those residing in the European Economic Area, EEA, and those outside the EEA, noting that Nigerians should be aware of the category they belong.

The NITDA boss said citizens could find necessary information on Truecaller operations on its website — www.truecaller.com.

On the participation of Nigerian start-ups at GITEX, he said that the young innovators had global innovative ideas but needed an enabling environment and the right mentorship to achieve their goals.

He explained that over time, government had put in a lot of work in trying to boost local content, adding that the effort was yielding results and making the IT sector to contribute majorly to economic growth.

He said “a lot of start-ups are coming up in the country and this shows that government’s effort toward building the ICT sector is yielding results.

“Before, oil was the major contributor to our Gross Domestic Product but now, ICT has taken over; ICT contributes almost 13.6 per cent to our GDP, while oil contribute only about 8 per cent.

“Job opportunities lie so much in ICT; it is just for us to find out the right potential within our environment and develop it,” Inuwa stressed.
(NAN)

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has donated two TATA 1618c Troop Carrier Trucks to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) as part of efforts to deepen the partnership between the two organisations. Each truck has the capacity to accommodate 63 police officers.

Chairman, FIRS, Mr. Tunde Fowler, said the police have been an important partner in revenue collection in the country. “When you are talking about tax, you talk about the law and of course, you talk about the police. The police have been partners to the FIRS
for revenue and everybody is quite aware, revenue is a major topic that we need to grow for Nigeria.

“We collect revenue for the three tiers of government, the federal, state and local governments and the way we see it, without adequate security, there can be no business. Without adequate security there can be no tax revenue, hence we see ourselves as partners and at the same time, we are also aware that as we support each other this country will be better. “We believe basically that any one who joins the military or the paramilitary or people who put their lives at risk for the rest of us, should be admired and supported,” Fowler said.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, while receiving the trucks, described FIRS’ gesture as the first of its kind since he assumed office as the police boss.

Adamu commended the FIRS for its collaborative efforts with the police. “FIRS has done a lot for the Nigeria Police in different areas and the partnership is such that it is not one-sided.

“We are seeing what FIRS is doing and is willing to do more. We are receiving two trucks that will facilitate the movement of our personnel from one part of the country to another. We thank you most sincerely for this gesture,” Adamu said.

The IGP noted that the security situation in the country needs the support of of every Nigerian, adding that improved security will result in prosperity.

“When we have security, we have development in this country. When we have development, we have employment. When we have employment, we do away with poverty. This type of support needs to be given to all security services, but in particular, the police,” said the IGP.

The FIRS has a full complement of the police officers who aid the tax investigation, intelligence and enforcement activities of the Service.

Viewers on DStv and GOtv will be able to see the draws for the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup broadcast LIVE this coming Wednesday evening, 9 October 2019 on SuperSport 9 and Select 1 from 6:00pm.

This event will take place at the Hilton Pyramids Resort, 6th October City just outside of Cairo and determine the group stage make-up for the Champions League, as well as the 16 playoff round ties for the Confederation Cup.

The 16 teams which have progressed into the group phase of the former competition are arranged into pots according to their ranking (based on performances in CAF competitions in recent years), with one team drawn from each of the four divisions and placed into a group (four groups of four teams each).

In the Confederation Cup, the 16 teams which have progressed through the first two preliminary rounds will be paired against a team which lost in the second preliminary round of the Champions League. Again a seeding system is derived using CAF rankings.

However, the exact line-up for each draw is yet to be 100 percent finalised as we wait on CAF’s decision in regards to the Champions League last 32 tie between Zamalek (Egypt) and Generation Foot (Senegal).

The Senegalese team held a 2-1 lead from the first leg of their tie against the White Knights, but refused to fulfil the return game on the final weekend of September when CAF, at late notice, shifted the date and venue of the return game.

This led to a 3-0 win being awarded to Zamalek, who have been bracketed into the Champions League draw as a result, but CAF said they are investigating the issue, with Generation Foot threatening to take the issue to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Regardless, the draw promises to be an engrossing affair, as we find out the fate of continental heavyweights such as current Champions League title holders Esperance de Tunis, Egyptian giants Zamalek and DR Congo’s imperious TP Mazembe, right down to a club like TS Galaxy, a second-tier South African side which has enjoyed a fairytale run into the playoff round of the Confederation Cup and stand just 180 minutes away from the lucrative group stages.

Don’t miss the 2019/2020 football season on DStv and GOtv. Visit www.dstv.com and www.gotvafrica.com to subscribe or upgrade, and join in on the excitement. And while you’re on the move, you can stream matches on DStv Now.

Nigeria’s leading financial institution, Zenith Bank Plc, has introduced Z-Money, which brings banking services closer to its customers and enhance financial inclusion among the under-banked and unbanked populace of the country.

Z-Money is an agency banking product of the bank which entails the onboarding of agents who are expected to render basic financial services on behalf of the bank.

Through the bank’s network of agents spread across the urban and rural communities in the country, customers are able to open accounts, deposit cash into any account, withdraw cash from any bank account, transfer funds, buy airtime, pay bills, and do so much more in a convenient way. In order to engender trust among its customers, the Bank ensures that all transactions done through the agents are PIN protected and safe.

Commenting on the new product, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu said “the bank remains focused on providing premium financial solutions that create value for its customers wherever they are located across the country”.

He added that apart from helping to extend the bank’s retail reach across all segments of the market, the adoption of the agency banking platform also demonstrates the bank’s commitment to achieving financial inclusion in the country.

Zenith Bank Plc is recognized as one of the most innovative financial institutions in Nigeria and was voted the most customer-focused bank in Nigeria for the Retail and SME segments in the 2018 KPMG Annual Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey (BICSS).

The bank’s commitment to world-class service standards has led to several product innovations over the last few weeks including the “Zenith Timeless Account”, which allows Nigerians aged 55 years and above bank for free, the “Zenith Save4me”, a high interest target savings account and “Dubai Visa Service” on the Zenith Internet Banking Platform, which allows convenient application and payment for visas to Dubai.

Viewers on DStv and GOtv can look forward to the resumption of qualifying action for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, with Matchday 7 fixtures on 10-12 October 2019.

Qualifiers for Euro 2020 get back underway on Thursday, with several manor teams in action. The pick of the games comes from De Kuip in Rotterdam, where the Netherlands will host Northern Ireland in a battle for top spot in Group C. A win for the Oranje will see them join the British team and Germany in a three-way tie on 12 points atop the standings.

Thursday also sees 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia looking to maintain their place atop Group E when they welcome Hungary to split, while the group’s other game is a crunch encounter for Wales, with Ryan Giggs’ team heading to Trnava to face hosts Slovakia. Belgium will also be in action, with Roberto Martinez’s charges set to rack up a big score at home to minnows San Marino, while Scotland face a tough trip to Moscow to take on Russia.

The pick of Friday’s Euro 2020 qualifier games comes from Prague, where England can take a major step toward the tournament finals if they defeat hosts Czech Republic and take an even stronger grip on top of Group A.

Fellow heavyweights France and Portugal will also be in action, with the former facing a tricky game away to Iceland in Group H, while the latter will look for a comfortable win at home to Luxembourg in Group B.

On Saturday, SuperSport viewers will be looking forward to seeing Spain and Italy in action. La Furia Roja will chase a seventh straight win in Group F when they tackle Norway in Oslo, while the Azzurri will do the same in Group J with a home game against Greece at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Don’t miss the 2019/2020 football season on DStv and GOtv. Visit www.dstv.com and www.gotvafrica.com to subscribe or upgrade, and join in on the excitement. And while you’re on the move, you can stream matches on DStv Now.

Viewers on DStv and GOtv can look forward to the resumption of qualifying action for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, with Matchday 8 fixtures on 13-15 October 2019.

Qualifiers for Euro 2020 continue on Sunday, with the early game seeing Belgium head to Nur-Saltan for a clash with Kazakhstan in Group I (which also features Russia away to Cyprus and Scotland looking to rack up a home victory over San Marino in Glasgow).

Other heavyweights in action on Sunday include Group C rivals Germany and the Netherlands, who will be away to Estonia in Tallinn and away to Belarus in Minsk respectively, while Poland will aim to continue their good form in Group G when they host North Macedonia in Warsaw.

The pick of Monday’s Euro 2020 games comes from Saint-Denis just outside Paris, as France host Turkey for a crunch Group H clash. Les Bleus will be looking for revenge over the Turks after a 2-0 loss in Istanbul back in June.

Monday also features England away to Bulgaria, a tricky match for Portugal in Kiev against hosts Ukraine, and Iceland looking for a big win at home to Andorra in Reykjavik.

On Tuesday, SuperSport viewers will be looking forward to seeing Sweden host Spain in Solna for a Group E clash, Switzerland will look to rise up the Group D rankings when they host Republic of Ireland in Geneva, and Italy head to Vaduz for a Group J clash away to minnows Liechtenstein.

Don’t miss the 2019/2020 football season on DStv and GOtv. Visit www.dstv.com and www.gotvafrica.com to subscribe or upgrade, and join in on the excitement. And while you’re on the move, you can stream matches on DStv Now.

Oxfam International says no fewer than 94,470,535 million people in Nigeria live below extreme poverty line, according to the latest World Poverty Clock.

Oxfam International Country Director in Nigeria, Constant Tchona, said this on Monday in Abuja at the organisation’s Programme Quality Review and Planning meeting with the theme “On the Road To Becoming an Influencing Hub”.

Mr Tchona decried that this number of people live below the benchmark of N684 per day.

“The number of people that live below extreme poverty level as at April was 91,501,377, making Nigeria the World Capital of Poverty.

“As if that was not bad enough, at the moment, six months later, the number has jumped up to 94,470,535 people.

“What this means is that we have added 2,969,158 people more into extreme poverty.

“By comparison, this number is more than the population of Gambia and Cape Verde combined.

“At the current rate, Nigeria is not only off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but many now believe that up to 25 per cent of the world’s extreme poor will live in Nigeria by 2030.

“Nigeria total population is 200,963,599 people according to the Worldometer and is to become the world’s third largest country by 2050,” he noted.

While describing the burden as pathetic, the country director noted that Nigerian government was aware of the rate of poverty in the land.

Mr Tchona quoted President Muhammadu Buhari’s intention to “lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next 10 years and set them on the path to prosperity’’ to “fundamentally shift Nigeria’s trajectory and place it among the World’s Great Nations’’.

According to him, if this is achieved, Nigeria will shock the world to achieve the SDGs.

“Now the question is what is the role of the citizens and how that role will be played in supporting both elected and appointed officials in achieving this lofty goal.

“What could be the role of International NGOs like Oxfam on that journey?” he asked.

He noted that in order to effectively make impact in poverty reduction, the organisation would have to reminiscent on its programmes to ensure they were not against Oxfam well established quality standard.

He stressed the need to expedite actions, adding that more people are getting into extreme poverty as at the moment.

Mr Tchona explained that the meeting was to reflect on what that role of the organisation in support for government and citizens could be in order to reduce the burden of poverty.

He said the meeting was also to explore ways to strengthen business support to power up Oxfam execution capability while ensuring operational excellence.

Pan African Financial services institution, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc is joining the rest of the world to celebrate the 2019 Customer Service Week, themed, “Magic Happens Here”, with recognitions for staff who have excelled in excellent service delivery.

The event, which is commemorated all over the world, recognises the importance of customer service and seeks to show appreciation to the staff who serve and support customers with the highest degree of care and professionalism.

The theme for this year’s celebrations embodies all that the bank represents as encompassed in its Core Values – the 3EEEs: Excellence, Enterprise and Execution.

Already, all branches of the bank are engaged in various activities which will make the week-long celebration exciting and memorable. Branches have been colourfully decorated, and customers are being treated to different exciting gifts and activities.

UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, who spoke on the significance of continuous excellent service delivery to customers, appreciated the staff who have worked tirelessly to satisfy customers, and urged them not to rest on their oars.

He said, “Over three years ago, we resolved to address the persistent customer service challenges in the Bank by launching the Customer First (C1st) Philosophy. The primary objective of which was to transform the Bank into an undisputed customer-focused institution delivering excellent financial services from the customers’ standpoint.

“As we celebrate this year’s Customer Service Week, I would like to express my gratitude to you all for the journey so far. It is my belief that, with our collective strength and commitment to the Bank’s corporate goals, the on-going crusade on Customer-First Philosophy, anchored on our core values; Enterprise, Excellence and Execution (3EEEs), the C1st drive will permeate the system and become our most treasured initiative group wide,” he noted.

Explaining the theme, he urged staff to do all they can to go the extra mile and promote great satisfaction for customers, adding, “Let’s strive to put the magical touch in everything we do to create a symbolic service experience for our ‘Employer’ – the Customer!”

The GMD seized the opportunity to explain that UBA is on the right trajectory to entrenching herself as the preferred bank in the hearts of customers, adding “Our primary objective is to imbibe and demonstrate C1st philosophy as a ‘way of life’ in all our engagements with customers. This is truly our core essence and how we wish to be primarily recognised always.”

Also commenting on the special week, the Group Executive, Customer Fulfilment Centre, UBA Group, Mr Anant Rao, said that UBA in the last 3 years has deliberately focused on its Customer 1st philosophy leveraging on a three prong lever of People, Process and Technology, saying that large scale transformations have been engendered with clear focus on serving the needs of the customers while laying emphasis on creating a holistic end to end Customer journey and with our ecosystem revolving around our Customers.

“The singular mission of our consistent and superior customer experience has been imbibed into the DNA of each and every staff of the bank. In this way, there is no gainsaying that Service has been institutionalized at UBA. The mantra of our Customers being our employers has been ingrained into the psyche of each and every staff,” Rao noted.

The United Bank for Africa, Africa’s global bank, was founded 70 years ago in Nigeria and today, operates in 20 African countries and in the United Kingdom, the USA and with presence in France. UBA serves over 17 million customers across the globe with more than 1000 branches and touch points. In 2018, the bank received the award of Africa’s Best Digital Bank by the Banker’s magazine.